Catale
by Lauralie20
Summary: Ceria from the world of Skyrim is blessed/cursed with a prophesy. As such, all sixteen Daedra want her Soul for themselves. Akatosh solves this issue by throwing the ten-year-old Khajiit into the world of Undertale, where chaos, obviously, ensues.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Firstly, disclaimer: I don't own Undertale or Skyrim. Ceria is one of my Skyrim OC's. I don't know if I'm going to finish this story or not, it's up to you readers and my own feelings about it, but right now I feel good about the story. Have a great day/night, and enjoy the story!**

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Prologue:

Ceria was sleeping when it happened. Her bed was on the ground floor of Breezehome, in Whiterun. She was curled up, fast asleep, while the Daedric Princes argued about what to do to her. They all wanted her as their Champion, however the Great Prophesy said that she could only become Champion of one Prince.

Sheogorath wanted to throw her into a pool of lava, and if she somehow managed to survive for 30 seconds, she could be his Champion. Hermaeus Mora disagreed, saying that she must study each Prince's realm, and whoever her Soul seemed more inclined towards could have her. Sanguine believed in getting her to a party, and whomever she came out with would choose the Prince.

Meridia believed in the traditional quests that the Dovahkiin had done for each of them. Hircine wanted to do a Wild Hunt, and each Prince would make up an animal to hunt the youngling. The Prince whose animal killed the khajiit would gain that child's Soul as an eternal servant.

Mephala just wanted to toy with the child, and Vaermina was in solid agreement. Peryite wanted to plague the cub, while Malacath wanted to curse her. Boethia and Clavicus Vile both wanted to bargain with the child in exchange for her Soul.

Namira wished for a gradual hunger to awaken inside the child. Nocturnal wanted Ceria to be another Nightingale dedicated to her. And Mehrunes Dagon just wanted to destroy her body, and torture her Soul until she agreed to be his unwavering servant for all eternity.

All the Daedric Princes were divided on what to do with the child of Nightshade and Inigo. So, they deferred, for once, to Akatosh, who had seen the bickering and decided to intervene. Because this child was unique, and because of who her parents were, the Aedra swiftly came up with a fitting quest to send her on.

He would send her to another realm, untouched by any of the Daedra, and if she survived the story, she had a choice. She could either stay in that world, and be lost to all of Nirn for all eternity, or she could choose a Daedra to follow. If she died, then her Soul would be trapped in that other world forever.

He didn't know what universe to send her to, though. He searched for eternity until he came to a head as to where he would send the Angel. To the Underground this khajiit would go, and follow the story that a genderless child would never experience.


	2. Chapter One

**A/N:** So the prologue and first four chapters are coming out all together, but any chapters added afterwards will be added at irregular intervals as I finish the chapter, which can and will take time. Hopefully you understand. Anyways, Have a good day/night, and enjoy the first chapter of Catale.

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Chapter One:

Ceria woke up cold and alone. She shivered as she opened her eyes, unsure of what was going on. Was she dreaming? Or was there really snow all around her, and a white forest clutching at her like a mother would her newborn child.

_Whiterun doesn't have snow. And, I thought I was home, in bed? Why am I so cold all of a sudden? Where's Mother? Perhaps she or Father could explain what's going on._

She started walking in a random direction through the snowy forest. She shivered, unused to such cold. Her fur was no match for the blistering cold wind that whipped in her face. She called out for her parents, hoping they would find her before she froze to death.

She heard a branch snap behind her, and froze. Ceria turned her ears behind her, searching for any noises that may help her. However, all she heard was the rustle of the wind, and her own frantic heart. She pushed on, wary now.

She thought she heard footsteps behind her. She stopped. "Mother? Father?" When nobody answered her call, she continued on, faster now.

She came to a bridge, barred by a wooden fence thing that wouldn't keep anyone out. She paused, not sure what to make of this construct. She heard steady footsteps behind her, and stiffened. A deep voice called out to her. "Hey, kid. Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand." She slowly turned around, wary and scared.

A dark figure held his hand out. She gulped, nervous. She hesitantly stuck her own paw out, and started when the figure grabbed it. Then, a loud sound startled her, and she tried to retract her paw from this stranger's grasp. However, the figure kept a firm grip on her. Just as she was about to call lightning to her aid, the figure released her hand, stepping into the light.

Ceria gasped. A skeleton stood in front of her, slightly taller than she. She stumbled back in shock, lightning dancing on her fur as she lost control of her magic, sparking up in stress.

The skeleton smirked. "He, he. The old whoopee-cushion-in-the-hand trick. It's always funny." He then saw how terrified Ceria was, as she tried backing away from this skeleton. "Hey, you okay, kid? I didn't frighten you too bad, did I?"

Ceria whimpered as the skeleton took a step towards her. "D—don't hurt me," she stuttered. "Please."

The skeleton frowned. "Who said anything about hurting anybody? I'm sorry if I scared you, but—"

Ceria backed away, tears shining in her eyes. As the confused skeleton took another step towards her, she turned and fled, racing away from the scary skeleton. She remembered her father's warning about skeletons. "Ceria, honey. If you ever meet a skeleton, watch out. There's usually more around, and a powerful necromancer too."

She raced through the snowy forest, until she was in a clearing. She stopped to catch her breath. As she stood panting, she looked around, curious as to where she was going next. She saw a mound of snow in front of her. Ceria took a step toward it, and was surprised to see a small dog hidden in the snow. It yipped at her. She blinked, not certain how to react. She didn't like dogs all that much, probably because they always tried to chase her.

This dog seemed to be trying to stand on its hind legs. Except that it kept going up. Soon, Ceria was looking into a large dog's eyes, as a metal armor and spear was uncovered from the snow. Ceria took one look at the ferocious dog, which growled at her, and turned and ran away. It barked at her, and started chasing her.

Ceria ran for a while. However, the dog was faster than her. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, they did. She hit an ice patch, and went flying through the air, down a cliff, and into the snow below. She heard a crack, and felt tremendous pain in her leg. It was all she could do to roll over as the large dog fell down next to her.

The dog shook itself, before looking around. Spotting Ceria, it growled before pouncing. The last thing Ceria saw was a large grey mass of armor slamming down on top of her head. And then she blacked out.

When Ceria woke up, she _hurt_. Her leg was on fire from the pain, and her head didn't seem to be all that better. She opened her eyes, crying out in pain. What she saw just confused her.

She was on some sort of green seat. Not a bed, but not a chair, either. Sort of a combination of the two, it seemed. She could see all kinds of weird things around. She assumed she was in someone's house. She could hear muffled yelling coming from outside, but even straining her ears, she couldn't make out the words.

Ceria looked down at herself. Her normally spotless white fur was matted with dirt and blood. Her leg… It was twisted at an awkward angle, and hurt like Oblivion. She could feel that it was broken, and whenever she tried to even twitch it, it would flare up in agony, and she would gasp in pain.

As her inspection finished, she heard a door slam open, and two skeletons stormed into the house. One was familiar as the skeleton that had scared her off, and the other was much taller and lankier, and his voice was much higher-pitched.

"I don't care, Sans! If someone is hurt, I'm going to help them!" Just then, the taller skeleton noticed that Ceria was awake. "Ah, you're awake! Good, you don't sleep for as long as my dear _brother_ sleeps!" He sent glares at the other one, who just shrugged at him.

"What can I say, Paps? I'm just a lazybones." He glanced at the terrified Ceria. "Heya, kid. Remember me?"

Ceria stared. She felt absolutely terrified. Two skeletons were right next to her, staring right at her. She was going to die, she just knew it. She whimpered and ducked her head, hoping they would at least make it quick and painless.

The shorter skeleton took a step closer. "Hey, it's alright. Greater Dog ain't here to mess up your day anymore." His voice was softer, which of course made Ceria even more scared.

The other skeleton came over. "Sans? What's wrong with the child? Is she not feeling well?"

The shorter skeleton shrugged again. "I dunno, bro. Maybe she's just scared. She just went through one big ordeal, alright. Hey, why don't you get started on dinner, while I talk to the kid?"

The other skeleton brightened up. "Of course! My magnificent spaghetti will cheer her right up! I'll be in the kitchen if you need me, brother!" With that, he left the room.

The shorter skeleton slowly made his way towards Ceria. With each step, Ceria curled up tighter and tighter, and she started to spark. Lightning danced on her fur, purple and dangerous.

The skeleton stopped when he saw the sparks. "What's up with the lightshow?" he murmured. He sat down heavily where he stood. "I guess introductions are in order, huh?"

Ceria tried to scoot away from the skeleton. She just ended up in a tighter ball, nursing her wounded leg. The skeleton noticed.

"You don't have to be so afraid, you know. We did save you from a super hyper dog earlier today. I think some credit is in order. And as for your leg… My brother, Papyrus can heal you after dinner. I would myself, but… I've never been much of a healer."

Ceria whimpered. "Don't hurt me. Please." She hoped the necromancer, wherever they were, could hear her plea and would heed it.

The skeleton ignored her. "I'm Sans, by the way. What's your name, cat?"

Ceria laid her ears flat on her head and hissed at the word "cat". "Khajiit! What insult!" She buried her head in her arms, hoping that the skeleton named Sans would just go away.

Sans leaned back, surprised at her sudden spite. He noticed that the lightning on her fur was intensifying. He didn't know what the lightning did, but it sure didn't look healthy. "Alright, um, Khajiit. Weird name, that."

Ceria looked up. She was confused and scared and just wanted to go home. "Not a name. A race." She didn't know why this guy wouldn't know what Khajiits are.

Sans scratched the back of his skull. "I don't get it, kid. Can you say more than that at a time, or…"

Ceria tried to calm down, she really did. Better to face her death now, than to get tortured by necromancers, she decided. "If… If you're going to kill me, just… Just do it, already."

Sans looked at her with confusion. "Again with that. One would think you had a thing against skeletons, or something. But I don't think I have the _guts_ to hurt you. He, he."

Ceria blinked, not understanding. "Then… Why doesn't your master kill me, then? I must be more important alive than dead?"

Sans shook his head. "Look. I don't know why you're so scared. But let's start at the beginning, again. I want to help you, after all. I'm Sans. What's your name?"

Ceria hesitated, before realizing that if the skeleton had wanted to kill her, it probably would have done so already. "Ceria. I'm Ceria."

Sans nodded, a sign of encouragement. "Nice to meet ya. My brother, Papyrus, is making dinner. Do you like spaghetti?"

Ceria confusedly blinked. "What is spaghetti?" she asked.

Sans slapped his skull with his hand, making a loud clattering noise that startled Ceria. She mewed, and her tail fluffed up, as lightning sparked her fur. Sans smiled a small smirk. "Sorry 'bout that. Spaghetti is… Well… I don't know how to explain. It's basically a form of food."

Ceria blinked, and her lightning faded slightly. "Food? I… I _am_ a little hungry…"

Sans smiled. "Well, then. Paps will probably make a serving for you. Speaking of, how's your leg doing? Papyrus told me what happened."

Ceria looked down at it. "I… Can't move it. It hurts… I… I think it's broken…" She spoke in a small voice. She hoped it wasn't broken. She didn't know how to heal yet. Well, she knew, she just couldn't put theory into practice.

Sans frowned slightly. "That's… Uh. Well, if you like, I bet my bro would heal it for you, if you let him." Ceria glanced at Sans, a small frown on her face.

"Why? He doesn't know me." She looked at her leg, doubts clouding her mind. "Besides, Mother told me not to let anyone heal me except for her or Archmage Luna."

Sans folded his arms. "Your mother? Wait, I forgot to ask. Do your parents know where you are?" He seemed slightly frustrated with himself.

Ceria shrugged, hissing as her leg flared up. Lightning danced on her fur. "I'm not sure where _I_ am, now. I know I'm not in Whiterun, as Whiterun doesn't snow. So, no, I don't believe so." She looked down, tears shining in her eyes. "Father told me that if I ever get lost, that I should just call him using the Thu'um. But… I don't have that power. Mother tried to teach me, but…" Lightning started to intensify, becoming stronger than Sans had ever seen it.

Sans didn't know what to do. Obviously, he had to calm this kid down. However… He wasn't really all that good with kids. "Uh… You want to hear a pun or two?"

Ceria blinked. "What is a pun?"

Sans smirked. "This is a pun, kiddo. You know why the ghost didn't go to the party? He had _no body_ to go with!" What a classic.

Ceria smiled slightly, her sparks fading. Sans took that as a good sign. Time to bring out the big puns. "What did the tree say to the rock? '_Leaf_ me alone!' I would heal you myself, but I don't have the _guts_ to do it. What did the skeleton say to his bro? 'Don't worry; I've got your back.'"

Ceria let out a small giggle. Her lightning faded completely. She smiled at Sans. "You remind me of a Bosmer friend I once had. He was blind, but would always be telling jests. Every time I saw him, he would make me smile."

Sans smirked. Job well done, a cat befriended. Just then, Papyrus leaned out of the kitchen. "Dinner's ready, Sans! Will our friend be eating, too?"

Ceria started at the abrupt sound of the other skeleton's voice, but settled down a moment later. Her stomach growled at the offer of food. She hadn't eaten for… She didn't remember the last time she ate. She nodded at San's inquiring look. Sans turned to his brother.

"Sure, bro. Just give her a bowl, okay? She's probably going to stay on the couch for tonight, you know?"

"Alright, brother. Just give me a moment. And, this time, NO KETCHUP!"

Sans wrinkled up his face. "But… You know I like the taste!"

"Sans! We have a guest! Not to mention that this guest is a _child_! No arguments!"

Ceria felt the need to speak up. "Cub, actually," she muttered.

Sans turned to look at her with a confused expression. "Huh? Didn't hear ya. _Mayonnaise_ you speak up?" He started to smirk.

Papyrus walked into the dining room, carrying two plates of spaghetti, and one bowl of it. He put the plates down to the dining room table, and slowly walked over to Ceria. He held out the bowl to her. He spoke in a softer tone, realizing that the child was afraid of his loud voice. "Here you are, a bowl of spaghetti made by the Great Papyrus."

Ceria hesitantly accepted the bowl, nodding her thanks. She looked down at the food inside. It smelled good, at least. She hesitantly took her first bite. Mmm! Delicious. Three large bites later, the bowl was set down, empty.

Over at the dining table, Sans and Papyrus were arguing over Sans's sock. Ceria chuckled to herself. _Just like the twin Argonian hatchlings, always snapping at each other for no good reason._

Once things settled down, Ceria closed her eyes, and was half asleep when she heard footsteps approaching. She yawned and opened her eyes to see the two boys worriedly watching her. She could see from their expressions that something bad was about to happen. She warily sat up, hissing in pain as her leg flared up again.

Sans was the first skeleton to speak. "Hey, kiddo. Sorry to wake you, but… Papyrus agreed to heal you. If you'll let him, he'll fix your leg now."

Ceria eyed the taller skeleton warily. He fidgeted as she watched him. He slowly came towards her, kneeling down next to her. She flinched as he reached out to touch her. Instinctively, lightning sparked in her fur, and her ears flattened as she hissed at him, warning him to back off. She curled around herself, protecting her wounded leg and keeping a watchful eye on the skeleton.

Papyrus flinched as she hissed at him. He turned to Sans, worry in his eyes. "Sans, I need to touch her, but she won't let me near. What do I do?"

Sans slowly came to sit next to his brother. "Let me talk to her, bro. She's just scared and hurt, that's all." He turned to Ceria, who was in no mood to chat. She hissed as he shifted closer, and he stiffened. "Look. You're hurt. You know that, I know that. Now, Papyrus has generously offered to heal you, to make you better. I know you're scared. This has been quite the day for you, I'm sure. However, I'm just trying to ease your pain a little, make your day that much better. Will you let me, or not?"

Ceria froze, and looked from skeleton to skeleton. Her heart beat faster as she tried to figure out what to do. Be nice, like her father, or be mean and survivalist, like her mother? She mewed a little to herself. Finally, she came to a decision. She looked at Sans, and gave a small nod.

Sans smiled. "Good. Hey, it'll be alright. It'll be painless, you'll see." He turned to Papyrus. "Okay, bro. This might be your only chance. Get in there and fix her up."

Papyrus frowned. "I'll try. Alright." He carefully reached out with his hand. "This… Won't hurt. I promise." His hand started to glow a bright white. Tendrils of white energy surged from his fingers as he put his hand upon Ceria's chest. Ceria closed her eyes as something within her began to stir.


	3. Chapter Two

**A/N:** Shorter chapter, sorry, but the cliffhanger for the next chapter practically wrote itself, so... Besides, you're getting four chapters and a prologue all in one, so you can't be too upset at the small chapter... right? Have a great day/night, and enjoy the story!

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Chapter Two:

_In the deep blackness of the Void, two Souls stirred. The first, the Soul of a Monster, reached out towards the other. The second, a unique Soul that seemed unlike any other, flinched away from the sudden energy._

_The second Soul was an orb, mostly green. Deep blue tendrils wrapped around it, and speckles of purple completed the bright pattern of the Soul. One part of the Soul was cracked, however. A small part that touched both blue tendril and green orb._

_The first Soul was in the shape of an upside down heart. Bright white energy flowed deeply through this Soul. Strangely, there was an orange barrier in place around this Soul, protecting and nurturing it._

_The first Soul tried again to reach out to the other Soul. The second Soul hesitated, but accepted this gesture. The first Soul reached out to the place where the crack was, and started pouring energy directly from their Soul to the second Soul. After a few moments, the crack closed, and the first Soul withdrew from the second._

_The second Soul hesitated, but felt that it had to repay the first Soul back. So a blue tendril unfolded from around the green orb, and reached out to the first Soul. Now it was the first Soul's turn to hesitate._

_The first Soul decided to refuse the offering. Dejected, the blue tendril folded back into the green orb, and the first and second Souls drifted apart. Their bodies woke up as they finished their interaction._

Papyrus was the first to awaken from the trance. His hands stopped glowing as he sat back, taking his fingers off the young cat's chest as he did so. His hands were shaking.

Sans leaned forward, steadying Papyrus as he swayed. "Whoa, there, bro. Take it easy. Is she healed?"

Papyrus nodded. "Yes, she is healed. Her Soul is like nothing I have ever seen, brother. Not like a monster's Soul, but not like a human's, either. It wasn't heart-shaped at all." His voice was full of wonder.

Sans glanced at the sleeping cat. "Really? I didn't think that was possible. But, anyway, it's past bedtime for you. Up to bed, now." He helped Papyrus climb up the stairs, and watched as his brother rolled into bed. "Night, bro. See ya in the morning." He closed the door softly, his mind alight with questions.

He stole back down the stairs, content to see that the child was still fast asleep. He hesitated. Sans normally didn't do things like this, but he had to know. He had to see for himself if this cat was all that his brother had made her out to be.

He took a deep breath. This might be difficult. He focused on his magic, his very Soul, and reached out towards Ceria's Soul. Closer, closer… Ah! He saw something stir in her. Now, to pull it out… He slowly extracted his Soul. Following like a faithful hound, Ceria's Soul pops out of her body, illuminating the whole room. Sans stared, speechless, at the Soul in front of him.

An orb, predominantly green, with blue tendrils curling around it. Purple speckles dotted her Soul. So, the primary trait is kindness, secondary is integrity, and tertiary is perseverance… Good to know.

On to stats next. He tentatively reaches out, poking and prodding carefully. LV: 1. EXP: 0. Max HP: 100. Current HP: 98. ATK: 1. DF: 1. Curious, indeed. But, why was HP so high, when everything else was 1, like his own Soul? That made no sense. Sans felt burning curiosity, and an itch to dig deeper. Alright, but only a little. He tugged the Soul towards him, reaching out with tendrils of his own Soul.

Ah, here we are. Hmm… Why were all her memories so… Different? Was that a human, walking past her? And her parents, they looked nothing like her. So, she lived on the surface, did she? Then, why was her Soul so different from that of a human's? And why was she so… different, in appearance, from them? The deeper Sans went into Ceria's Soul, the more questions he had.

And then he hit a solid part of her Soul. He recognized it as the very _core_ of her Soul. Sans hesitated before digging in there. He was sure he was breaking a hundred different privacy and etiquette rules right now; did he really want to add more to the pile? However, he had gone this far with no trouble, so what could possibly go wrong?

He dug into the _core_ of Ceria's Soul. Inside, he found a void. But, in this void were tiny golden lights, sparkling like diamonds. He focused on one. Inside this little diamond, he saw Ceria, as an adult. Graceful and deadly, she wielded the power of lightning effortlessly against her foes. In his head, he heard a rich, powerful voice.

"There is a prophesy. A Great Prophesy. The white Angel, borne of one whose blood was blessed with the power of Akatosh himself, would wield the power of Good and Evil within her very Soul. Lightning will come at her beckon as the Angel guides a new race into the World. She will decide the fate of this race, whether it be destroyed or saved. Champion of One, Servant of None, this Angel will strike down a God."

Sans felt chills race down his back. Did… Was that… What was going on?! He needed to get back into his own body, and fast. He recoiled the tendrils of his Soul from Ceria's, and awoke from his trance, breathing heavily. He carefully put the cat's Soul back into her body, and then stood there, in front of this white kitten, shaking.

Sans went to bed with a bad feeling that night.


	4. Chapter Three

**A/N:** Wherein we learn more about Ceria... and perhaps Sans, though the saying that all legends or stories are loosely based in fact could be applied... perhaps. Anyways, as always, have a good day/night, and enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter Three:

Ceria was having a nightmare. Her father was being sucked up into this swirling purple portal, and she couldn't save him. He screamed, unwilling to go into the portal, but the portal didn't care, and swallowed him anyway. Ceria reached out to him, tears in her eyes.

"Don't go, father! I'll save you! Please, don't leave me!"

She heard her mother's terrified voice. "Inigo! Hold on! I'm coming!" Ceria had never heard her mother so distraught before.

Inigo screamed one last time, before disappearing forever.

Ceria surged forward, as she watched her father drown in a purple swirling void. "No! Father!" She screamed, opening her eyes as she lunged out, lightning shooting out of her hand and arching across the room, scorching the walls.

Ceria sat, panting, as she slowly realized that that was just a dream. She buried her head in her arms, fur sparking as she cried. "Father…" she muttered into her arms. "Nine, does Vaermina truly hate me that badly, to torture me so?"

She sensed a presence, and stiffened as she heard Sans's voice softly murmur to her. "Bad dream?" She lifted her head to see the shorter skeleton kneel down next to her. "Don't worry, I understand." He glanced at the scorch mark on the wall. Lightning still sizzled and spat there. He whistled softly in appreciation. "You're powerful, I'll give you that, kid."

Ceria hung her head. "Father…" she whispered as she dug her head in her arms. Ceria started to cry, the vividness of her dream lingering in her mind.

Sans felt sorry for the kid. "Hey, it's alright. Hey, don't… don't start the waterworks, jeez." He sighed, not sure how to calm the child. He wasn't all that great with kids. "Uh… Did you ever have any pets?"

Ceria lifted her head, confused. "Once, yeah." She sniffed. "A fox named K'shar."

Sans blinked in surprise. A fox, as a pet? "K'shar, huh? Weird name, that. What inspired the name?"

Ceria looked down at the ground. "Uncle Hanzo's father was named K'shar. I think he was… One of the Suthay-Raht."

Sans nodded, although he had no idea what she meant by that. What was a Suthay-Raht? Did that make him special in some way?

Ceria took a deep breath. "Nine, I miss Uncle Hanzo. He may be… loud, but he was family… sort of."

Sans smiled at Ceria, while inside he turned her words over. _Is Nine considered a profanity where she's from, or is she referring to her deities?_ "Maybe you'll see him again. Perhaps even sooner than you think." He really hoped that today he could find her parents and take her home. Perhaps she was with the Temmies? Sans had to admit, she _did_ sort of resemble one.

Ceria turned to Sans, her eyes wide with hope. "Really? Do you think so?" Sans nodded, happy to see the sparks fade from her fur. He started to realize that every time Ceria was upset, her fur would spark with lightning. Interesting concept, and one that Sans would keep in mind.

Ceria looked up, thoughtful. "Let's see. We're somewhere where it snows a lot… And there was a forest, I remember… We must be near Dawnstar, right? Then, Milara Tebris should be around, and she can bring me back home!" She glanced at Sans, hope shining in her eyes. Sans had a thoughtful frown on his face as he slowly shook his head.

"I… Don't think I've heard of this Dawnstar, kiddo. And who's this Milara Tebris you mentioned?"

Now it was Ceria's turn to frown. She turned, her tail swishing as she thought of how to answer. "Dawnstar… Is a hold within Skyrim, yes? And Milara Tebris is… Infamous for being almost godlike, actually." She twitched. "There are rumors around Whiterun saying that she's a Vampire, but I don't believe them. After all, her brother is part of the Dawnguard, who _hunt_ Vampires."

Sans sat down beside her. "I can tell this is going to take a while, but... I have a few hours to kill, yet." He sighed. "So, kiddo. I can tell you're not from around here. Do… Do you live on the Surface?"

Ceria nodded, frowning. "Yes, of course. Only bandits and the like lurk underground. As well as skeletons, draugr, Dragon Priests, and other creatures that Mother and Father hunt down."

Sans hummed thoughtfully. "Your parents… What are their names?"

Ceria blinked. No-one had ever asked for her parents' names before. "Mother… Her name is Nightshade. Father is called… Inigo."

Sans nodded. That was what he had expected. "Alright. Uh… What do your parents do? You know, for a living?"

Ceria leaned away from him in surprise. No-one had asked her that before, either. "Umm… Mother is part of the Thieves Guild, I think. And the Dark Brotherhood. Father, well… He was a mercenary, but now he's settled down some, and works as a liaison between Whiterun and the trade caravans."

Sans frowned. "Hold up, kiddo. The Thieves Guild? You saying your mom's a thief?" He was surprised, to say the least.

Ceria blinked, and nodded. "Yes. She told me that she never wants me to be like her, though. She knows it's wrong, but she does it anyhow. She will not tell me why."

Sans sat back, a headache starting to arise. _Looks like there's more to this kid than meets the eye, huh?_ He sighed, rubbing his bony temples. "And your dad… You say he was a mercenary? Like, the kind who would take money to go beat up a group of people?"

Ceria nodded. She glanced at the ceiling, thoughtful. "Before that, he was a bandit. Addicted to Skooma, he told me. And before _that_, he was trained as an assassin. Not really part of the Dark Brotherhood, though. Just a branch-off who were just in it for the gold."

Sans held up his hand. "Whoa, there, kiddo. One step at a time. So, he was a bandit? You mean, like the kind who rob people?" Ceria nodded. "And your dad was addicted to… What was it?"

"Skooma. Khajiit refine it from Moon Sugar, I think. Father told me to never go near the stuff. Uncle Hanzo once used Skooma, I think. Or was it Moon Sugar?"

Sans shook his head, letting out a low whistle. "Your family is worse than mine, I have to admit. Bandits, thieves, mercenaries, assassins, and drugs. Not a good recipe for a healthy childhood, I have to admit."

Ceria crossed her arms in protest. "Hey, there's some good! Mother is Dragonborn, and helped save the world from Alduin. Father saved an Argonian family from a nest of giant spiders, once. And Uncle Hanzo is part of the Companions, who protect Skyrim from bad people."

Sans scratched his head. Who was this Alduin? And what are Argonians? Giant spiders sounded a whole lot like Muffet and her gang, though. "That's… Nice, I guess. But still, kid. You're like, what? Six? Seven?"

Ceria shook her head. "I'm ten winters old. Father says that when I have my thirteenth winter, he'll let me go to Winterhold, and start training with the Mages there." She looked at the ground, feeling slightly ashamed. "Maybe they'll help me learn to control my spark-ups," she said softly.

Sans softened as he took in the image of a small white fur-ball who had problems controlling her magic. He lifted his arm in a comforting gesture. "Hey, kid. It's alright. We all have bad days when magic is involved. It's… Sort of part of magic. It's not very consistent."

Ceria sighed, studying her feet. "But… But my magic shouldn't react like this. A full lightning cloak that activates whenever I get upset. That's what Mother says my magic is like. And I have lots of power for a Khajiit. But I'm bad at controlling it. I almost hit you, when I woke up, didn't I? I'm sorry about that, by the way."

Sans shrugged. "Eh, you didn't hit me, and that's what's important. Although… Trying to explain this one to Paps is going to be _fun_, I can tell." He frowned. Ceria sighed.

"But… I'm not supposed to be so… Archmage Luna said that mages don't develop lightning aptitude until they're… Older than me. And I've… I've hurt people before, on accident, with my powers. I don't like it, and I just want to be normal. Is that so hard?"

Sans sighed. How was he going to calm the kid down enough to get her back to sleep? Maybe a bedtime story? Would that work on the kitten, like it always does for Papyrus? "Hey, kiddo. Why don't you lay back down, and I'll tell you a little story. That be alright?"

Ceria looked at Sans, before shrugging, and lying back down. Sans settled in, grumbling a little. What story should he tell?

"Alright. There once was a monster, a wee little thing, barely a year old. He had enormous power for one so young, able to summon bones already, although they only did one damage. His father knew that something was wrong, as monsters of that age shouldn't be able to use magic like that. So he started to do research, to try to see if someone like his young son had gone through this before. Meanwhile, the little monster got a new brother, who wasn't nearly as gifted with magic as he was."

Ceria frowned, questions forming in her mind, but Sans held up a bony finger, silencing her questions before she could even ask. She settled back with a huff, her magic starting to settle as she calmed. Sans smiled slightly as the lightning around her faded. His story was working after all.

"One day, the little monster's father called him into his office, excited. The father told the little monster that he had found a way to dampen the kid's magic, and that all the little monster had to do was go into this little room and stand very still. The little monster didn't know what to think. He liked having magic, and it was fun to play with, but his father loved him and only wanted the best for him, right? The little monster backed away, refusing to dampen his magic. The father was unhappy with the choice his son had made, but decided to let the kid be. Soon after, the little monster learned how to control his powers, and used them for good, and to keep his little brother out of trouble. And all was right with the world. The end."

Sans looked up from his hands, which he'd been staring at as he told his little story. Ceria was fast asleep, curled in a little ball. He smiled to himself. "Goodnight, little monster." He then yawned, getting up as quietly as possible. He looked at the clock. _I've got a couple hours left before I have to be up_. He dragged himself up the stairs towards his room. He looked back as he crossed the threshold, taking one final look at the white kitten before he shut the door and went to bed.


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N:** I'm starting to suspect I have a thing for ending chapters with someone falling asleep or unconcious and starting chapters with them waking up... HALP! Anyways, have a great day/night, and as always, enjoy the story!

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Chapter Four:

Ceria woke up to a ruckus in her ears. She mewed and opened her eyes, her ears swiveling towards the ungodly noise. _What in Oblivion is going on_? She sat up, clutching the blanket draped across her small form in one hand and rubbing her eyes with the other. When she looked up, she quickly discerned the source of the noise, her eyes widening.

Papyrus was dragging a still-half-asleep Sans down the stairs, clearly fuming. He turned his shorter brother around towards the scorch mark on the wall and gestured with one gloved hand. "Brother! Why, of all things, is there a scorch mark on our wall?!"

Sans blinked, trying to wake up, clearly thinking it was way too early to be doing this. "'Cause it's not on the floor? Or ceiling?" He glanced at the couch, where a startled white kitten was watching the proceedings with wide eyes and a slightly-sparking coat of fur.

"You know full well what I meant, Sans! What happened last night?" Papyrus turned his brother about to face him, his eyes wide with concern. Sans waved a bony hand in dismissal.

"Nothing, Paps. Just a bad dream. Now, can you quiet down a bit? It's too early for this."

Papyrus drew himself up at that. "It's six-o-clock in the morning, brother! You _should_ be awake by now!" He then put a concerned hand on his brother's shoulder. "A bad dream?" He lowered his voice in worry.

Sans inclined his head silently at Ceria, who had drawn the blanket around her tightly. Papyrus realized that the kitten was awake and withdrew his hand from Sans's shoulder. "Oh, you're awake, tiny child! I didn't notice you get up." He kept his voice lowered for her sake, having learned that her ears were sensitive to loud noises.

Ceria's violet eyes went from Paprus to the mark on the wall to Sans, and she mewed to herself and curled up in the blanket, making herself small. Her dream came back to her as she looked upon the scorch mark and she lost control of her magic as lightning sizzled through her fur, burning the blanket slowly. "Father," she whispered.

Papyrus looked to Sans, worried. "Did I say something? Why is she…?" Sans's gaze softened as he looked at the white kitten in sympathy. He then turned to his younger brother.

"Nah, it's nothing, Paps. Like I said, bad dream." He turned back to the kitten and slowly started to approach. "Hey, kid. Remember what I said, about seeing your Uncle again soon?"

Ceria poked her head out from the tangle of blanket, her eyes wide. She nodded. Sans sighed, rubbing his skull. Why did all of this have to start so _early_? "Well, I think I might know someone who can help. But you have to calm down, first. And maybe have some breakfast."

That got both Ceria's attention and Papyrus's. Ceria's lightning started to fade at the thought of seeing Uncle Hanzo again as Papyrus rounded on his brother for the umpteenth time that morning. "Oh really? You know where she came from?"

Sans turned back to Papyrus, sighing. He beckoned his brother to follow him outside. The other skeleton followed, curious, out into the snow, where Sans turned back, crossing his arms. "You know Temmie Village, down in Waterfall?"

Papyrus nodded, confused. "Yes. But what do the Temmies have to do with this?" He gestured back towards the house. "She doesn't look like them, does she?"

"They're the closest I've seen to her, bro. We can at least check, can't we?"

Papyrus thought for a moment. "I guess…. We'll just have to go and visit them today!" Sans nodded, hiding a smile.

"Great idea, Paps. You and the kid go and give the Tems a visit after breakfast, ok? I'm gonna keep an eye out for humans at my post." He knew that would keep his brother from making him tag along.

Papyrus grinned widely. "Finally, you're thinking like a Royal Sentry for once!" He narrowed his eyes at his shorter brother and pointed a gloved finger at him. "And no slacking off this time! I mean it!" Sans would've rolled his eye-lights if he could've gotten away with it. Instead he just smiled.

"_Snow_ problem, bro. I'll just _chill_ at my post and keep a socket out for humans today." Papyrus growled at the awful puns but let them slide….reluctantly.

"Alright. I'll go make breakfast spaghetti while you go tell our guest about today's plans." With that, the two skeletons entered the warm embrace of their home, watched by a wide-eyed white kitten wearing a worn blanket with scorched holes burnt through.

Sans turned to the kitten as Papyrus marched around the kitchen getting breakfast ready. "Heya. Paps and I talked, and he'll take you to some friends of ours who might be able to help get you home." Ceria's violet eyes widened at that and she shifted her weight, clearly excited at the prospect of going home.

Ceria blinked gratefully at the short skeleton. "I'm going home?" Her heart filled with hope.

The skeleton sighed and took a seat next to her. She slid to the far side of the weird green seat, leaving him lots of room. Sans shrugged. "It… yeah, kid. You're going home." He left out the _maybe_ he was thinking in his head, letting the child have her moment. He then shifted, lowering his voice. "I won't be going with you and Paps, ok? So, try to be careful. Paps will keep you safe, but you have to try to control your magic, ok? He's not lightning-proof, even though he probably thinks he is."

Ceria understood what Sans was trying to say, and her excitement and hope abated as she nodded, suddenly grim. "I'll try," was all she said, her voice trembling slightly.

Just then, breakfast was served. Sans opted to sit on the floor so that Papyrus could sit next to Ceria. Sitting so close to a skeleton like Papyrus made her uncomfortable, but she tried to not let it show too much. She ate with gusto, and even asked for seconds in a timid voice, which almost gave poor Papyrus hysterics.

"Did you hear her, Sans? She wants more of my spaghetti! No-one has asked for seconds before!" Sans gave her a small smile, but she didn't notice, as she was too busy scarfing down her second bowl.

After breakfast, Sans left for his post, giving Papyrus a last warning. "Be careful, bro, and have fun." With that, he was off. Papyrus started getting ready for his own trip to Waterfall.

"Have you ever been to Waterfall before, tiny child?" Ceria shook her head, sliding off the couch and landing on her feet gracefully. Papyrus watched as she clutched the battered blanket around her trembling form tightly, and he frowned. "Are you cold?" She jumped at his question, before nodding. He leapt to his feet and marched purposely over to the closet, fishing out one of Sans's old jackets. He gave the trembling kitten the jacket, smiling at his own generosity.

Ceria didn't know what to think of this strange cloth. It smelled like tomatoes and snow, and it folded around her like a robe, but only came down to her midriff. She frowned at the garment as the skeleton known as Papyrus helped her put it on. He stood back once she'd donned the strange piece of apparel, smiling to himself. She looked up at him, her violet eyes confused. She mewed to herself, trying to calm her slightly-ruffled nerves.

Papyrus then nodded to himself, glancing at a round object on a wall. "I think it's time to head out. Temmie Village isn't too far away, but one can never be too prepared!" With that, he took the child's paw in his own gloved hand and escorted her out the door and into the cold.

Sans didn't stop at his post, but instead went further into the woods, to visit an old friend. The door was just as he had last seen, closed and worn down over the passage of time. He sighed and slumped up against it, knocking experimentally. "Knock, knock."

He heard the familiar muffled voice of the old lady. "Who's there?" she called out.

"Purr."

"Purr who?"

"Purr-sonally, I think these jokes are claw-some." Sans smiled at his cat-pun as the old lady started to laugh.

He wasn't dumb. He remembered the Resets well enough to know who was behind that door. But he wasn't going to reveal that, not yet. Besides, how could he explain how he knew about the Queen without also explaining about all the other Timelines? Nah, too much hassle. And, if the kid wouldn't tell, neither would he.

"Now that was a purr-fect pun to start the morning." Sans had to agree, that was a good one. However, this time he wasn't just here to tell jokes.

"Eh, I'm feline like that was only the beginning. But, I have a question for ya."

"Oh? Has it something to do with cats and tongues?"

"Nah, not yet. No, I was wondering if you've seen a white fur-ball recently. Purple eyes, magically-inclined towards lightning."

The old lady's answer was slow as she tried to recall who she had and hadn't seen that day. "No, I don't think I have. Have you met a new friend?"

"Of a sort. I was wondering if you knew more about where she came from, as she doesn't seem…local. Have you heard of someplace called Whiterun? Or maybe Dawnstar?"

"I'm afraid I have not. But perhaps someone else will have more information on the matter."

Sans sighed, muttering to himself. "You have _goat_ to be _kitten_ me…" He then shook his head, raising his voice so that the old lady could hear. "That's quite alright. Anyways… Knock, knock."

Ceria did not like to be wet. Papyrus didn't seem to mind the constant rain as they forged deeper into Waterfall, but Ceria _did_ mind. Her fur clung to her skin in uncomfortable fashion, and her lightning was constantly going hay-wire. It was all she could do to keep from hitting Papyrus with her errant magic as she radiated lightning outward.

Then, Papyrus led her into a room that wasn't raining, and she felt relief as her lightning started to fade, clinging to her skin but leaving the rest of the room alone. She'd already almost hurt Papyrus, she didn't need to hurt… whatever those creatures were.

The creatures in question almost look like Alfiq, the housecat-looking breed of Khajiit. The only thing is that they have black dog ears as well as white cat ears, and although there were about a dozen of them, they all looked exactly the same, right down to the strange clothes they wore. Papyrus seemed slightly uncomfortable being around these creatures, but spoke with inflection to the nearest one, who looked up with interest at Ceria and the skeleton.

"Hello, Temmie. Or is it Tem? I can never remember, my apologies."

The creature spoke in a high-pitched voice of excitement, similar to Papyrus's, only feminine. "That's ok! Tem sometime forgets Tem's name too."

Ceria cowered behind Papyrus, afraid of these creatures. Papyrus glanced worriedly down at Ceria before moving on hurriedly. "Well, um. Do you, uh, know this child? Is she from around here?" Papyrus seemed to be sweating slightly from his skull, and Ceria wondered how skeletons could sweat.

The creature looked at Ceria with unguarded interest. "No but maybe Bob knows. He's our history-an." The little creature bounced away, only to come back with another in tow. This one had a lower-pitched voice and spoke with more elegance than the other creature.

"Hello, Papyrus. How're you today?"

Papyrus dipped his head in greeting. "I'm doing good, Bob. Nice to see you again." He gestured at Ceria, who still stood behind him, trembling in fear. "Do you know this tiny child? Is she one of you, or is she from somewhere else?"

The creature named Bob narrowed his eyes at Ceria before shaking his head. "I don't know her, sorry. She's not a Tem, though she looks kinda like us. Maybe she's from Hotlands?"

Papyrus frowned but nodded. "Well, thank you for your time, but we have to go. Have a nice day." He turned and hurried from the room, a terrified Ceria following closely.

In the next room, Papyrus sighed. He took out a strange, metal block and poked it a few times before putting it next to his skull and speaking loudly into it. "I took her to the Tems… No, they didn't recognize her at all… Bob suggested Hotlands… Yes, I was thinking that myself. Can you hold down the fort for a while longer?...Well, maybe Undyne could…Yes, but…Yes, she does seem a bit upset, but…Maybe you're right. And she might be able to tell us more about why her Soul is…Why not?...Oh, alright. But when I get back, you'd better not be asleep!" With that, he pulled the metal block away from his skull, poked it, and then pocketed it back in that strange outfit of his.

Ceria watched this with confusion. After Papyrus pocketed the block, she asked timidly, "What's going on? Can I go home?"

Papyrus looked down at her and frowned, seemingly torn. He hesitated, then sighed, kneeling down so he was on her level. "Not yet, tiny child. First we have to go to Hotlands and visit a friend of my brother's. Don't worry, I think you'll quite like her."

Ceria frowned at that, thinking of the creatures. She looked back the way they'd come, towards the village of those creatures. "Is she Alfiq, too?" Papyrus looked at her, confused. "Like those creatures. Though, they weren't really. Too dog-like. Smelled weird, too. Like wet dog and hot wind."

Papyrus thought he understood what she was trying to say. "Oh! No, she isn't one of the Temmies. Like I said, I think you'll like her." He stood, beckoning for Ceria to follow. Ceria scowled, skeptical, but followed the skeleton, hoping that she'll get to go home after all of this nonsense is done and over with.

Sans took a shortcut to the Throne Room, not willing to go all that way on foot and risk meeting his brother along the way. The King was sitting down and having tea at the time, and looked up when Sans stuck his head into the room.

"Ah, Sans! What a pleasant surprise. Come, sit, let me pour you a cup of tea." Sans sat, but refused the tea. He wasn't here for pleasantries.

"I'll get right to the point, Sir." He may call him King Fluffybuns behind his back, but he knew better than to say anything like that to the monarch's face. He leaned forward, resting his hands on the table as Asgore sipped on his tea. "Do you know a bipedal cat monster with white fur and purple eyes?" Asgore frowned and set down his tea.

"I'm afraid I do not. And I know every monster within the Underground, as is my duty. Are you telling me there's a new monster roaming around without my knowledge?"

Sans scowled, thinking hurriedly. As Judge, it was his duty to inform his king about something like this, but at the same time, he was unsure if he should. What if the kitten was like the kid, or Flowey? Besides, there's that weird Soul of hers to consider. But then, Paps was taking the kitten to Alphys, who would surely tell the King about her at some point. Better it came from him than her.

"I think, Sir, that I might have to take some time off from Sentry duty, so that I can gather more information about this new monster, such as where she came from and what she's doing here and how she came to be in Snowdin with no knowledge of the area." He gave the King a pointed look, and the King nodded, grave.

"You have permission to use your position as a tool to gather the necessary information about the subject in question. And I shall have Undyne write you a note excusing you from Sentry duty for the next… shall we say, week?" Sans nodded, and Asgore sat back, taking another sip of his tea. "It shall be done, then. Is there anything else you need?"

Sans hesitated, then asked, "Do you know of someplace called Whiterun? Or maybe Dawnstar?" Asgore's brow furrowed, but he shook his head.

"No, I haven't the faintest clue where those places might be. Although, they do sound like Human names for some of their cities." He looked at the skeleton sharply. "Anything you need to tell me about these places?"

"Only that this new monster knew of them, but didn't know what Snowdin was. I'll make sure someone has an eye on the kitten at all times, though, just in case." What he didn't say was that that someone was most likely going to be him for the most part. He didn't need to say it. Asgore dipped his head, and Sans stood. His audience with the King was over. As he turned to leave, he heard Asgore mutter worriedly, although to himself or Sans he wasn't sure.

"This is troublesome indeed. Strange things seem to be afoot as of late. Better keep an eye out."

Sans took a shortcut back to his post, where he sat and brooded on what he had learned, and what he still needed to find out, before taking a short nap.

Papyrus smiled as the pair came to the door to the Royal Lab. He gestured wildly. "Here we are, at the Lab." He knocked smartly on the door, explaining that "It's been a while since I last visited. I wonder how she is doing?" Ceria, on her part, seemed rather relieved to be out of Waterfall and in Hotlands. Papyrus hadn't thought that the child would like Hotlands so much, what with her fur and all. But she seemed pleased to be in the warm climate, as opposed to the wet one of Waterfall. Papyrus shrugged. To each their own, and all that.

The lab door opened to reveal Alphys, the Royal Scientist. A yellow lizard in an oversized labcoat, the scientist seemed surprised at Papyrus's visit. "P…Papyrus! It's… It's been a while, Has… hasn't it?" She looked from the skeleton, who smiled and greeted her in kind, to the small, white-furred cat who walked beside him. She adjusted her glasses and looked again. Yes, that is lightning coming out of the cat's fur.

Papyrus glanced at Ceria and introduced her to the scientist. "Ceria, this is Dr. Alphys, the Royal Scientist. Dr. Alphys, this is Ceria, a new friend of mine."

Ceria took one look at the lizard and gasped. She looked up at Papyrus in surprise. "You didn't tell me she's Argonian!" She hissed at the skeleton. She then looked back at the… scientist, Papyrus called her. "Nice to meet you." She felt more relaxed, now that she was warm, dry, and among a fellow beast-race.

The scientist smiled timidly and gestured for them to enter her lab. "N-nice to meet you too." She escorted her guests past a bunch of strange objects and machinery that made Ceria think of Dwemer technology. She sat the three of them down at a white table with stools. Ceria struggled slightly with taking a seat on her stool, as it was made of metal and her fur kept slipping on the strange white metal. After a few moments, however, they were all seated, and Papyrus got to the issue at hand.

"Dr. Alphys, Ceria here is… well, lost is a good way of putting it. She seems to be far from home, but from the way she talks, it doesn't seem like she's… from around here. Do you know any monsters who might know her?" Alphys frowned, studying the white kitten.

"I… I don't think so. I'd have to check, but I don't think there's any records that detail the name 'Ceria'. I…I'll check the records later, however, just… just to make sure." Papyrus nodded, hesitating. Ceria decided to interrupt at this point, looking from Alphys to Papyrus as she spoke.

"So can I go home yet? Mother and Father must be worried sick by now." Papyrus and Alphys shared a glance, but instead of answering Ceria's query, Papyrus shifted in his seat and asked his own.

"I was hoping you might… take a look at her Soul, while we're here. I'm no expert on Souls, but… I don't think hers is… normal." That got the lizard-woman's attention, and Alphys stood quickly, nodding.

"Let me just get my scanner, and I'll have a look." She turned and walked off, leaving Papyrus and Ceria to themselves.

Ceria looked up at the skeleton. "What do you mean, my Soul?"

Papyrus rubbed the back of his skull with one gloved hand. "Do you remember when I healed you?" Ceria nodded. "When monsters heal one another, their Souls come into contact. I felt your Soul, just as you felt mine."

Ceria scowled, confused. "Archmage Luna and Mother never brought up souls, though. Not when trying to teach me how to heal. They kept bringing up things like energy, and the Sun and stars, and life-force. Nothing about souls."

Before Papyrus could come up with a response to that, Alphys returned with a strange piece of metal in her claws. "S-sorry it took me so long. The sc-scanner was buried under m-my desk, although I d-don't remember putting i-it there." Papyrus waved a hand in her direction nonchalantly.

"It's quite alright, Doctor. You're here now, and that's what matters." He turned to Ceria, explaining in a lower voice. "Dr. Alphys here is going to take a look at your Soul real quick. Don't be afraid," he added hurriedly as the kitten's eyes widened and her fur started to spark. "It's completely painless and will only take a moment. Right, Doctor?" He looked at Alphys for support. She nodded hurriedly, coming around the table to stand in front of Ceria.

"Y-yes, exactly. I p-programmed this scanner myself for the explicit purpose of looking at monsters' Souls. It's perfectly safe, and will o-only take a few moments before the scan is complete. B-but, you need to keep very still while I'm scanning you, alright? And you can't… You have to keep your m-magic output to a minimum, so that the scanner gets a more accurate r-read on your Soul."

Ceria nodded her understanding, her eyes wide. She sat up straight, trying desperately to reign in her magic while sitting stock-still on her metal stool. Papyrus nodded at the Royal Scientist, who went to work, putting the so-called "scanner" across Ceria's chest and poking it a couple times. The scanner glowed green for a few moments, and Ceria felt her magic shift in response. She tried to repress it, her eyes glinting with concern.

The scanner's glow turned light blue, and Ceria gasped sharply as her magic exploded from her control in a shock-wave of lightning that radiated out from her and overtook the whole room in purple waves of pure magic. This reaction sustained itself for a few moments as all Ceria could hear was the roaring sound of magic and felt her reserves drain at an alarming rate.

When her reserves were completely depleted, the spell ceased, and the purple waves of magic faded to reveal the burnt ruins of the lab, and a sizzling Alphys in front of her and Papyrus's still form lying on the ground behind her. Both were unconscious, for obvious reasons. Ceria swayed, falling off her stool. The last thing she remembered before blackness swallowed her up was a metallic voice rang out, calling, "ALPHYS, DARLING! I'M—OH DEAR, WHAT HAPPENED?" Then Ceria fell back as the darkness of her subconscious reared up and swallowed her whole.


	6. Chapter Five

**A/N:** In which everyone is just a little high-strung at the moment... except, perhaps, Mettaton, but that's just him being the absolute STAR that he is. Don't forget to leave a review if you enjoyed reading, or if you have some constructive criticisms. I know about as well as the next person that you have to take the bad with the good, and that everyone can always improve. That said, please don't be rude if you do decide to review. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it, but if you think there's something I can improve on, I'm happy to hear some FRIENDLY advice. As always, have a good day/night, and enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter Five:

Ceria awoke with a splitting headache and her Magicka reserves empty. She groaned, opening her eyes. She was lying down on a cot with a white blanket drawn over her. The ceiling overhead was white with grey dots. Ceria turned her head to the side, smelling metal and spaghetti and snow. She was shocked to see a large block of metal sitting beside her cot with glowing magic that changed colors in the middle of the block. The colors changed from green to red and then yellow, and the metal twitched as a metallic voice rent the air, making Ceria jump then wince at the loud noise.

"ALPHYS, DARLING! OUR GUEST HAS FINALLY AWAKENED. NOW, IF YOU DON'T MIND, I HAVE TO GO AND GET READY FOR MY NEXT SHOW." The metal block moved back, revealing a wheel like those on a carriage made of some strange material that wasn't wood connected to the metal block. The block rolled out of sight as Papyrus and Alphys came into the room. Ceria sat up, her eyes widening at the sight of them.

Papyrus was out of the strange armor he wore before, instead wearing something akin to a white robe. His bones were scorched and his skull was cracked at the side. His eyes bespoke of relief, but also a newfound wariness and worry.

Alphys had burns along her scales, too, but her white robes were different-looking than Papyrus, and those strange things she wore in front of her eyes had hairline cracks in the glass of them. Her eyes were full of wariness and anxiety, but also concern and curiosity.

The two came over to her cot, where Papyrus spoke, his voice cracking slightly. "Tiny child! You are awake! I was beginning to fear that you would beat my brother's record for sleeping the longest. I needn't have worried, however! Nyhehehe!"

Alphys put a hand on Papyrus's bony arm, drawing him back. "If you would, Papyrus, I n-need to run some t-tests on Ceria here, if… if that's alright." Papyrus looked surprised and disappointed, but he nodded and withdrew to the other room. Alphys took out what looked to be a cross between a shiv and a vial, looking more-than-slightly terrified. She swallowed, approaching Ceria.

Ceria flinched away, apprehensive eyes on the apparent weapon in Alphys's hand. She hissed, flattening her ears and cursing her still-empty Magicka reserves. Alphys momentarily hesitated, her hand shaking. "It…it's ok. This'll only hurt a second, I p-promise. I just need to d-draw some b-blood, to cross-analyze. I'll only b-be a minute." Ceria's eyes widened even further at that. The Argonian lady wanted to hurt her! She unsheathed her claws, an instinctual reaction. She'd only just started to learn how to fight with fang and claw, but that didn't mean she was going to take getting attacked sitting down!

Alphys noted the Khajiit's reaction and sighed, ceasing her approach. She called Papyrus back in, explaining to the confused skeleton that "you need to calm her down, or at least restrain her. She's not cooperating, b-but I really do n-need to draw her blood." Papyrus blanched at that.

"Surely there's another way? She's had a very stressful time here already, there's no need to make her even more upset." Alphys shook her head, and Papyrus's scowl grew larger.

"I-I'm sorry, Papyrus, but th-this is the only way I know of t-to get the necessary information. As R-royal Scientist, it's my obligation t-to…" Papyrus held up a bare, bony hand, silencing the lizard lady.

"Ok, if this is the only way. At least it's not going to actually hurt her, besides a brief moment of pain." He turned his head to Ceria, gauging her reaction.

Ceria flicked her ear, but otherwise didn't back down. She shifted her body into a defensive position on the cot, drawing the blanket around her like a protective ward. Papyrus sighed and gestured to the lizard lady. "Here, let me do it. She at least trusts me a little bit." The lizard lady hesitated, but gave the strange object to Papyrus, who shuffled closer to Ceria, taking his time and talked to her in a low, almost-soothing-but-not-quite voice.

"It's okay, Ceria. You're not in trouble, or anything like that. Quite the opposite, in fact. I'm quite impressed with your little show of power there. I didn't know you could do something like that. True, it's not as powerful an attack as my Special Attack, but… that darned Annoying Dog keeps running away with mine." His voice sounded bitter and frustrated at that. He sat down slowly next to Ceria, who flinched away, hissing. Her hackles raised as she kept a close eye on whatever that weapon-thing was.

Papyrus kept talking, keeping his voice low for Ceria's sake. "Doctor Alphys showed me scans of your Soul that she took while you were asleep. Do you want to see them?" He turned and dug around until he found something in his robe's pockets, then turned back, showing Ceria a most curious portrait that he held up for her to examine.

A green orb floated amid a black background. Deep blue tendrils wrapped around the orb, while purple specks dotted the whole thing. On the side were yellow stats: LV: 1. EXP: 0. Max HP: 100. Current HP: 91. ATK: 1. DF: 1. Ceria frowned at the portrait, confusion and curiosity lowering her guard momentarily. Her hackles lowered slightly, although her fur still puffed out a bit. Her claws sheathed, and her ears, which were laid flat a moment ago, perked up as she cocked her head to the side, violet eyes wide.

Papyrus twitched, muttering, "I'm sorry, tiny child." He then plunged the strange shiv-vial thing into Ceria, breaking the skin with a flash of pain. Ceria squeaked, hissed, and flinched away, claws suddenly out. She clawed instinctively at Papyrus, who dodged by standing up in a fluid movement, pressing down on the object stuck into Ceria's flesh. She saw her blood enter the vial, and felt a bit woozy. She shook her head to clear it and launched herself at Papyrus, causing him to stumble back.

She clawed at the skeleton again, desperate. Her eyes were full of fear as she hissed and bit down on the arm that held the strange weapon, and bit down hard. She felt the bone break and him yell out, and she came away with a chunk of bone in her mouth. She spat it out, her eyes fey with fear, pain, and desperation. She looked around the room wildly as she tried to understand what was going on.

Papyrus had lost grip on the weapon, which still remained stuck in her flesh. He clutched at his arm, fear and concern and guilt in his gaze as he looked up into Ceria's violet eyes. Alphys dashed forward, yanked out the weapon, and danced back, pocketing it in her robe-thing.

Ceria hissed and fled, squirming underneath the cot she'd just been sitting on and curling into a protective ball in the corner, far from reach of either of the other two. Tears were in her eyes. _I don't understand. Why would he do that? He had healed me earlier and he's helping me to go home! _She licked her raised hackles, not even caring that she was acting out of proper Khajiit etiquette. And in public, too!

She heard Papyrus's voice, pitch raised in stress. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Ceria! But I had to! Doctor Alphys needs your blood for further investigation. She could even use it to find out where you're from and how to get you home! Don't you want that?"

Alphys sighed. "I-it's ok, Papyrus. Leave her b-be. She'll… she'll calm down in a bit, ok? I'm going to p-put this in a safe place f-for further testing later. You j-just rest, maybe c-call your brother and t-tell him what's happened." There was the sound of footsteps, and then silence. Ceria's mind raced, and she tried to calm her beating heart.

After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only a few minutes, there were more footsteps approaching. Ceria, who'd calmed a bit and was trying to wrap her head around what happened, stiffened as she heard Sans's voice and smelled tomatoes and snow.

"Papyrus!" The footsteps increased their pace and then stopped. "You said she'd lashed out, but you didn't mention _this_." She heard Papyrus sigh. Apparently he'd left the room and returned without her knowing. As her magicka reserves were coming back, finally, Ceria's fur started to spark at the thought.

"I'm alright, brother. See, it's already started to heal. Within a week or so I'll be right as rain, nyhehehe!"

Sans didn't sound convinced. "Paps, you know how bad losing bone structure can be. It might get infected, or regrow bad, or worse. _Ulna_ regret saying it, but you're going to have to miss training for the next few weeks until it's completely healed."

Papyrus responded indignantly, "But—Sans! I'm still perfectly able to use bone summons and my blue attack, I'll have you know. Something like this isn't going to keep me from doing my job as a Sentry, nor is it going to interfere with my training to be in the Royal Guard."

Sans scoffed. "You sure the _Captain_ is going to agree with you? Not to be _koi_ but I don't think she's going to want you risking something like infection or bad regrowth just for a little sparring practice or whatever it is you do."

Papyrus actually stomped his foot at that. "STOP WITH THOSE ANNOYING PUNS, SANS! And Undyne, of all people, would know that being a Royal Guard means no complaining, no excuses, and no lying about in bed because of a little injury when there's people to help and humans to capture!"

Ceria hissed softly at the loud and high-pitched voice, her fur crackling with voltage. Sans and Papyrus seemed to not notice her as they continued their row without pause.

"So you'd rather sacrifice yourself for the people, huh? No, you'd sacrifice yourself for even a _human_, wouldn't you? And let's not forget the _real_ reason you want to be in the Guard: Popularity. You'd become a martyr, just because you like the attention, is that it?" Ceria could practically hear the tears in Sans's voice. Papyrus gasped, as the comment went deep. He then sucked in a breath, and when he next spoke, his voice was trembling with barely-contained fury.

"That is _enough_, Sans. I'm going home, and you can handle Ceria. Tomorrow I'll go to practice, and there's _nothing_ you can do to stop me." There was the sound of footsteps and a door slamming shut, which made Ceria jump. Sans sighed, a deep, weary sigh that bespoke of age long past his years.

There was a creak as Sans sat down on the cot above Ceria. Then he spoke, his voice a lot older than it was before. "I know you're under there, kid. You can come out now, it's safe."

Ceria hesitated, unsure and still ruffled from earlier as well as the spat between the skeleton brothers. _The Argonian brothers would've ended it with a fight if they ever got to that level of arguing…._ She mewed quietly, wordlessly explaining her plight. _Come out and risk getting hurt again, or stay here and risk his ire?_ Sans made the decision for her.

"Don't make me drag you out of there myself." Ceria's eyes widened at the threat and she slowly crawled out from under the cot, twisting to keep a constant eye on the shorter skeleton as she did so. Sans smirked slightly as she complied with his request, though the smile didn't reach his eyes, Ceria noted. Ceria backed away from him, until her back was to the closed door. Both kept a wary eye on one another, which led Ceria to believe that Sans knew just what happened during her stay at the lab.

Sans spoke first, leaning back so that his skull was against the wall, his eye-lights following her every movement with guardedness in his gaze. "I heard you gave Papyrus a bit of a _bad time_ the past couple days. Don't worry, I don't judge…much." He gave her an intimidating grin that was all teeth. His eye-lights bespoke of a veiled threat behind his words, though Ceria couldn't figure out what he was implying.

"Well, lemme tell you something, kid. If you plan on hurting my brother like that again, I have some advice for you." His smile faded into a frown as his eyelights darkened, leaving only empty, haunted eye sockets. Ceria's fur stood on end at the sight. "**Don't**."

Ceria mewed, shrinking back from the skeleton's intense gaze. Sans closed his eyes, sighed, then opened them after a moment of collecting himself. His eye-lights were back, and he smiled slightly, though the grin didn't quite manage to reach his eyes.

"Anyways." He leaned forward, shifting his weight on the cot. Ceria flinched at the sudden movement, but Sans didn't seem to mind. "How're you feeling, kid? Besides, you know, scared."

Ceria hesitated, unsure of how to respond and confused at the sudden switch from threatening to light-hearted. "I-I…" She rubbed her chest subconsciously, her sparks fading as they took up what little Magicka the Khajiit had regained. She frowned, furrowing her brow in concern. Her spark-cloak never took up Magicka that fast before. "M-my magic," she mewed timidly, barely above a whisper.

Sans frowned, concern growing on his skull. "What about your magic, kiddo?" Ceria looked up at him, unsure of how to explain.

"The… scanner, thing. From before. It… changed something, in my magic. I… lost control, and it depleted my reserves… Sleeping usually helps replenish reserves, but… And then, when it finally started to come back, I got.. scared, and my spark-cloak sprung up. It usually never takes up that much Magicka… maybe a couple points or so if I keep it on for a while, but… never this fast, and never this much. Something feels… off… like the… thing, scanner, it changed… Or maybe it's the Nine's doing? I don't know!" As she spoke, she went from confused and scared to concerned and upset, and her pitch raised gradually until she wailed that final phrase, tears in her eyes.

Sans seemed put-off by Ceria's crying. He blanched, then slid off the cot and slowly started to make his way over to the Khajiit. "Hey, kid. It's alright. Jeez, no need to start with the waterworks. Come on, let's go home. Paps will make you some spaghetti and you can relax on the couch and watch us bicker. Sound good?"

Ceria continued to cry, her violet eyes streaming with tears as she curled up into a ball, hiccupping. "B-but that's what I-I've been trying to d-do this whole time!" she wailed. "I just want to go home, make sure f-Father is alright, p-play around Whiterun, maybe even go with m-Mother on one of her heists, if she'll l-let me… I just want to go home. I d-don't want to deal with f-fake Alfiqs and dangerous Argonians wielding shiv-vials. I d-don't want to worry about my m-magic, besides the usual. I don't want to h-have to make the choice of siding with the skeletons, whom I've grown up hearing tales about how t-travelers would die to undead warriors risen b-by necromancers, or siding with my f-father, who isn't even here, and maybe not being able to go home. And that's all I want, is to go h-home."

Sans paused, letting her wail, then sighed. He sat on the floor beside the crying child, thinking as the white-furred kitten bawled her eyes out. He knew he had to calm the Khajiit down somehow, and then get her home safely, preferably before dinner. Unfortunately, he had never really been good with kids, especially crying ones. The last time he had to deal with a child, that child had went on to save the Underground only to Reset the entire Timeline and kill every monster trapped beneath this infernal mountain, Sans included.

"Well, I'm no expert, but I think we're one step closer to getting you home, bucko. Remember that whole fiasco of trying to draw your blood? Alphys needed to do that so that she could analyze your DNA. Amazing things you can do with one's blood, really. Including figuring out where that person came from. And if we can figure that out, we're halfway there to getting you home, ok?" He patted the kitten awkwardly on the head, knowing that he was at least temporarily safe from the kitten's wayward magic. He frowned, trying to wrap his head around what the kitten had explained about her magic. What exactly did the scanner activate, to make the child go insane like this, to change her very magic?

Ceria lifted her head, tears drying as she sniffled hopefully. "Y-you think?" Sans chuckled, his smile not quite reaching his eyes as he nodded at the cat.

"We'll get you home, kid. I promise."


	7. Chapter Six

**A/N:** Wherein Sans has some errands to run and exposition to learn. As always, have a great day/night, and enjoy the story!

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Chapter Six:

Sans took the kitten back home that night. Papyrus refused to talk to Sans, giving his brother the silent treatment instead. Sans let it slide. He had more important things to do than worry about Papyrus's finer feelings.

First thing on the agenda was to get the kitten settled. Ceria was nigh on terrified of Papyrus now, after that little fiasco at the lab. It took almost an hour to comfort her and get her situated on the couch. But after that, she curled up and slept like a log, much to Sans's relief.

Next up was talking to Alphys. Under the pretense of going for a walk, Sans left Papyrus to watch over the white furball as he took a shortcut back to the lab, where Alphys was working on Ceria's blood sample.

Sans leaned against the doorframe of the room Alphys was working in, watching her work silently for a minute. Then he yawned and spoke, startling the poor lizard-monster. "So what have you learned so far?"

Alphys whirled, her eyes widening in surprise from behind her still-cracked glasses. "Oh, Sans. You scared me." She turned back to her work, sliding the vial containing the kitten's blood into a holding-slot. She frowned, furrowing her brow as she considered his question. "As for… Ceria, was it?" Sans nodded. Alphys adjusted her frames, looking nervous. "I-I'm not sure she's… even classified as a Monster."

Sans folded his arms, nodding. "Her Soul is too different from a Monster's, for one. But she isn't Human, either."

"N-not exactly, no. She's not h-Human, but she seems to be closer to Human than Monster, as far as her Soul goes. Perhaps a hybrid of some sort? I know there's n-not many records from before the war, but maybe there's been instances of Humans a-and Monsters… breeding?"

Sans hummed, brooding. "It'd make sense. After all, she has the physical traits of a Monster, as well as the magical ability. Yet her Soul is closer to that of a Human, and she can't control her magic, a common trait young Human Mages shared back in the day, if the stories and legends are to be believed." Sans crossed his arms. "What does the bloodwork show?"

"I-it's still very early, so the margin of error is very great, but it's saying that her DNA doesn't match with any of the Human… samples, that we've collected, nor any Monster lineages dating back to when we first got trapped down here."

Sans sighed. "Keep an eye on it, and call me if anything changes. We _need_ to find out where this kid came from." He turned to start walking away. Alphys called for him to wait, and he froze, but kept his back to the Royal Scientist.

"W-what are we going to tell people? What are w-we going to tell the _King_?" Sans scowled at that, his eyelights dark.

"Let me handle that. You just worry about gleaning any additional information about our new friend as you can, and relaying it back to me. Understood?" Sans let the authority of his position as Judge ring through his tone, letting Alphys know that this was an _order_.

Alphys didn't seem to like this order, but had no choice but to obey. She knew his title, and his ties with the king. If it came to an argument between the two, Asgore was more likely to side with the skeleton over her, and she knew it. "U-understood."

Sans left without another word. He had too many things to do, and not enough time to do it. He took a shortcut straight to the Throne Room, coming up with a plan of attack practically on the spot. Good thing he had some practice with improvisation.

Asgore was just leaving the Throne Room, presumably to go back to his own home for some rest, when Sans ran into him. Asgore stopped in his tracks as he saw the short skeleton walking purposefully towards him, looking aged and thoughtful. Asgore's expression went from pleasant surprise to concern as he took in his friend's weary look, and he greeted him with a great paw descending down to rest gently on the skeleton's shoulder. "Sans! I didn't expect to see you again so soon, especially at this hour. Are you quite alright? You look like you haven't slept since I last saw you."

Sans respectfully shrugged the King's hand off his shoulder, sighing before getting right to the bones of the matter. He had no time to stand on ceremony, this time. "I learned more about this new monster I told you about the other day. Turns out the kid isn't a monster… not quite."

Asgore looked surprised at the news, as well as the gruffness of Sans's tone. He hesitated, then ushered the skeleton back into the Throne Room, where he sat the both of them down and started making some tea. He insisted the skeleton drink the beverage this time. "You look like you need it, my friend." After a few moments of nothing but sitting and drinking tea, Asgore broached the subject at hand, a small frown on his face.

"So the new monster, this… cat monster, I think you called her. You have some new information about her?" He sipped his tea, curious as to what would bring his friend to see him at such a late hour.

"Yes, Sir. Paps took her to Alphys's lab, where she ran some tests on the kid." Sans hesitated, unsure if he should tell the King about the magical reaction to the scanner. "She scanned the cat's Soul, just to cover all her bases. I managed to get a copy of the scans, when I went to visit the kid." He slid the copy, which he'd pocketed while the kitten was having her waterworks, over to the King.

Asgore looked over the scan with interest, taking in the unusual coloring and shape of the Soul, as well as the stats on the side. He hummed, sipping his tea as he thought. He looked up at the skeleton. "This is _not_ a monster's Soul. Nor is it a Human one." It was not a question.

Sans nodded, taking back the scan and pocketing it. "Alphys and I are hypothesizing that the kitten might be a hybrid of some sort. There are little records from before the war, and almost none whatsoever on Human breeding procedures. What if this kitten, Ceria, was the result of a Human-monster crossing? That would explain the nature of the Soul, as well as the mannerisms and magical nature of Ceria herself, and her lack of knowledge for other monsters and areas of the Underground, particularly if she was raised on the Surface."

Asgore shook his head, his furry brow furrowing. "Not possible. The Humans trapped us down here two hundred years ago, and no monster who survived the war escaped being trapped under the mountain along with the rest of us. And even if a monster _did_ escape and breed with a Human, any offspring, unless they're a Boss Monster, would survive this long, and this Ceria is no Boss Monster."

Sans saw the King's point, but he wasn't to be deterred. "Let's just keep it on the table for now, Sir. It may not be plausible, but until we have more facts, it's the most viable option we have available." Asgore hesitated, but agreed.

"Very well. Now that the manner of this newcomer is temporarily laid to rest, what else is on your mind? Obviously something is troubling you, my friend. You would not have come to talk to me this late if there wasn't."

Sans paused, uncertain. He hadn't realized he was being that obvious, but the row he'd had with Papyrus _was_ getting under his non-existent skin. He shook his head. This was the _king_, he didn't need to worry about his troubles! He had the whole Underground to worry about. "I-It's nothing, Sir. I'm just… tired, that's all. Now, if you excise me, I have to get home before Paps starts to get worried." He stood, walking out before the King could protest. From there, he took a shortcut straight to his favorite haunt: Grillby's.

It was getting really late, and Sans knew it. Grillby's was closed, and had been for over an hour, but the short skeleton didn't care. Besides, he needed some ketchup.

He opened the door and walked in, slamming it shut behind him. The place was eerily silent except for the rhythmic sound of Grillby cleaning the counter. Sans sat down heavily at the bar with a groan and put his head in his hands, his skull throbbing already.

_I didn't think I'd ever think it, but I miss the loop. Where _is_ the kid, anyways? They're not usually this late getting out of the Ruins_. Sans was shaken out of his reverie as Grillby set a bottle of ketchup in front of him. The flaming man then got out from behind the bar and sat down next to Sans, looking about as concerned as a fire-based monster could look. "What did you two fight about this time?" Sans had to give it to Grillby; he always knew just what was up.

Sans took a sip of ketchup, relishing in the taste. "Why does he have to be so _stubborn_? I just want to make sure he's safe. He and I both know what could happen if his regrowth somehow goes south. He could end up losing the use of his arm. And for what? To continue his vain attempts at becoming popular? He's already got friends, good ones even. He doesn't need anything more than that."

Grillby's flames heated up a bit at that. "Papyrus is injured? How?" Sans shrugged.

"That blasted kit got to him. Overreacted when Alphys and him tried to get a sample of blood, for scientific purposes. Damn kitten is going to be the death of me, I swear. Got herself wrapped up in an enigma that I have to solve. And of course I promised to get her home. She didn't even ask! …I hate making promises, especially ones I don't even know I can keep. But there's something about her… I dunno, maybe I'm just going soft."

Grillby sighed. "You have a lot on your plate. More than what you can handle. But you insist on handling it all yourself, instead of asking others for help. And you call Papyrus stubborn."

Sans snorted at that. Normally, he would take offense, but not only was it Grillby who was telling him this, but also, Sans had to admit that he had a point… not that he planned on changing anytime soon. He was still a lazybones after all, and that seemed like too much work.

"Yeah, well… Maybe stubbornness is hereditary, who knows?" He sighed, taking another sip of ketchup. "Hey, Grillbz. You were around before the war, right?"

Grillby's expression became guarded. "Why would you say that?" Sans waved a hand dismissively.

"Don't ask how I know. I just do, okay? Anyways, before the war… did you know many humans?"

Grillby was silent for a moment, lost in memory. Then he got up and got himself some Flamester, a beverage that catered to the fire-based set. He sat back down heavily, and started to drink. Sans let him have his moment of silence before he answered quietly. "We've been friends for… a long time, Sans. I know you, and you know me. So I'm not going to ask how you know about my past." He sighed. "But yes, I was… around, before the war. My mother was a Boss Monster, even though my father was not, so I inherited a _very_ long lifespan from her. I've been around long enough to remember a time before the war, when Humans and monsters lived in peace."

Sans took another sip of ketchup, realizing that he was in for a long night. "The King rarely talks about the time… before. And, considering his royal blood, he probably didn't have much contact with Humans. Not on a normal, everyday level."

Grillby nodded, looking through Sans, digging up half-forgotten memories. "I always had a love of food. My parents owned a small café, and I helped out as best I could, once I was old enough. It was a cross-place, a public place that catered to both Humans and monsters. Before the war started, there were quite a few, although by the time I started working in the café full-time, many cross-places had shut down as relations between the two races got more heated. As such, I got to talk to many Humans. I even considered a few as my friends." His voice trembled slightly, but Sans pretended not to notice.

"Before things got too bad… Were there ever any Human-monster… relationships?" Grillby looked at Sans in surprise, but nodded.

"Of course. Back then, cross-race marriages were uncommon, but not unheard of. But to publicly announce your romantic relationships with the other race was to find yourself in the center of public controversy. Some didn't like the idea of cross-race couples, others didn't mind, and others didn't care either way. The royalty never addressed the issue, concerning themselves more with monster issues than Human ones, as they probably saw this as, and the Human government saw this as a monster issue, probably, and not their concern, so it was the people's decision as to whether they thought it was right or wrong. And, as things heated up between our race and the Humans, more tended to side with the anti-cross, as they called themselves, though they rarely called themselves anything in public. Private movement, you understand." Sans nodded.

"You ever hear of any cross-race… breeding?" God, was he _blushing_? If Sans wasn't an expert in all things skeletal, he might have wondered just how a skeleton could blush. As it was, the answer was simple: Magic.

Grillby snorted. "No. If the public was _that_ against cross-race romantic relationships, do you really think people would look kindly at a child of said relationship? Of course not. So if there ever was a hybrid child, if that's even possible, the parents kept it from reaching the public eye." Grillby took another sip of his Flamester. Sans followed suit with his ketchup, having almost finished his bottle already.

"I get it. Anyways." He looked down at his bottle. "I'm going to have to apologize again, aren't I?"

Grillby nodded. "He'll forgive you. He's too kind-hearted to hold any sort of grudge." Sans snorted, remembering a particularly nasty Reset.

"You'd be surprised." He stood, downing the last of his ketchup. "Thanks for the ketchup, Grillba. I really needed that." The flame-monster nodded his understanding, getting up and clearing the counter as Sans left, pulling his jacket tight around him. It was past midnight at this point. Sans sighed.

"He's gonna _kill_ me for disappearing for the whole night like this…" Grumbling to himself, the shorter skeleton started back towards his home, feeling a bit more relieved than before, but also still concerned and curious about the future. _This Reset is _definitely_ turning out tibia weird one._


	8. Chapter Seven

**A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus, I just haven't gotten around to working on this story for a while. That's my fault. I'll try to write more on this story so I can get more of it out for you guys, but for now, enjoy this slightly-shorter chapter. As always, disclaimer: I don't own Undertale, or Skyrim, or any of the characters in either.**

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Chapter Seven

Papyrus looked up as the door opened, stirring from his position on the couch beside a fast-asleep kitten. Sans strolled in, shutting the door as quietly as he could. Papyrus narrowed his eyes. _Does he really think I wouldn't notice his absence for a whole night_?

The taller skeleton stood, wincing slightly as his newly-injured arm flared up at the movement. Sans stopped, turning guiltily to his younger brother. Papyrus crossed his arms.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been sitting here, waiting for you to walk through that door, worried that something might've happened to you? Any idea at all?" Sans stared at the floor, shifting in his ridiculous pink slippers. Papyrus gestured to the clock on the wall, trying his hardest to keep his tone even. "It's almost 1AM, brother. You've been on your walk for _hours_! I tried to call you, over and over, but you wouldn't pick up!"

Sans seemed surprised at that little tidbit, and almost looked up at his brother. Almost. "My phone never rang," he muttered to his slippers. Papyrus felt his patience run just that much thinner. He took a shaky breath, his voice trembling slightly with barely-restrained emotion.

"Is that it? No apologies, no telling me where you were, not even the excuse of 'I lost track of time?' Just, 'my phone never rang.' That's all I get. Unbelievable." He turned, striding into the kitchen as he felt his temper rise.

Papyrus lashed out in anger, kicking over the trash bin. "You never tell me anything! Not when you go out for hours at a time and come home late at night, not when you have another nightmare and wake up screaming, not when you're sick..." He was crying now, resolutely keeping his back to Sans. "You wouldn't even tell me if you got hurt, would you?"

Sans let his brother rant, feeling so much more miserable with each word. He hung his head in shame, knowing that his naïve brother was closer to the truth than he even knew.

Papyrus shook his head, summoning a small bone and twirling it in his hands; a nervous fidget he sometimes did when overly upset. "I'm not stupid, Sans. I can see you're keeping things from me. I've tried not to pry, I really have. But now… Well, you've forced my hand, brother." He turned around, facing Sans in his full, almost-Royal-Guard, height. "What's been going on, Sans? Why have you been acting so strangely lately?"

Sans felt the dread seep into his heart. Ah, so it's that kind of Timeline. He mentally groaned. He'd had this talk with Papyrus so many times by now… He just couldn't go through with it. Not again. He kept his head down, not meeting his brother's gaze.

Sans shrugged. "I didn't realize I was acting weird," he lied smoothly. "I just went for a walk, that's all. Had to clear my head." He knew he should be apologizing, but he wanted to get out of this whole… situation, first.

Papyrus's temper cracked. "OH REALLY?!" He let his bone fly, and Sans saw it fly right over his head and into the wall beside Ceria, who sat on the couch, watching the proceedings with wide, violet eyes. The kitten flinched back from the bone, but Sans didn't even blink. "So now you're resorting to lying flat-out to my face, is that it?!"

Sans sighed. "You know, a few more inches and that would've hit me." As soon as those words came from the skeleton's mouth, he wished desperately he could take them back. But what was done was done, it seemed.

Papyrus stiffened, teary eyes meeting Sans's. He sniffed, looking away. "Fine, then." His voice sounded a lot older, a lot more defeated, than Sans had heard in many Resets. He stiffly marched past Sans, desummoning the bone still stuck in the wall, and strode out the door, slamming it shut behind him with a thud of finality.

Sans watched him go feeling absolutely horrible. But he refused to cry, not in front of the kitten. So he swallowed his emotions and walked over to the couch, sitting down beside Ceria with a heavy-hearted sigh. "…I just keep messing things up, don't I," he muttered to himself. Ceria flicked her ears in response, mewing timidly.

The skeleton glanced over at the white furball. "Eh, don't worry. He'll go over to Undyne's, blow off some steam there, and we'll make up over… lunch, I guess." He gave the kitten a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "For now, you'd better rest. It's too early for you to be getting up just yet."

The kitten just stared at him, too scared, confused, and worried to go back to sleep. Sans shifted on the couch, grumbling to himself. Why did he have to babysit this kid again?

After a moment, Ceria spoke up. "You two… you argue more than the Argonian Twins, don't you?"

Sans gave her a confused look, and she explained. "They're brothers, but they… don't see eye-to-eye. To make matters worse, they're cursed by Arkay, so they can never be rid of the other. It grates on them a lot. Archmage Luna tried to help, but… I think she just made things worse."

Sans nodded, understanding. "Yeah, me and Paps argue a lot. Usually it's my fault, but… I'm just trying to protect him, you know? And he doesn't like that, so we tend to get on each other a lot, especially lately." He was careful with how much he divulged. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell the kitten about the Resets just yet, if ever. Best to hold off and wait, just to be sure.

Ceria shuddered, remembering the Twins. "They got into fights a lot. Swish would usually win, but Viper… he gives his brother a run for his gold, you know. They both come out worse for wear, though, and Archmage Luna has to heal them both, much to her frustration." She gave a weak smile, staring at the ground. "I like Swish. He's fun to be around, and he tries to teach me fire spells. I'm not very good just yet, but…" She shrugged. "That's okay. Swish said it takes years to master these sorts of spells, and I've only just begun to learn."

Sans listened to the Khajiit ramble, interested despite himself. "And what about Viper? Do you like him?"

Ceria shuddered, her spark-cloak activating momentarily. "Not… really. He and Mother work together sometimes, but… Viper just seems… dark." She shrugged, drawing her blanket tighter around herself. "I don't know why, though. Maybe he and Arkay have a stronger bond than Swish's bond with Arkay?"

Sans didn't know what to say to that. He sat back for a moment, silent. Then he asked quietly, "Who's Arkay?"

Ceria's shock-cloak disappeared as her ears perked up in surprise. "You… don't know who Arkay is? How? I thought everyone knew who the Nine were."

Sans glanced at the clock on the wall. 1:30AM. He felt so tired, but his curiosity kept him on the couch. "Remind me, then. It's been a while, I've forgotten who the Nine are."

Ceria shook her head in disbelief, curling up next to Sans, who stiffened in surprise. He wasn't expecting a white furball to lean up against him, that's for sure. Ceria frowned, uncertain of where to start, and oblivious to Sans's discomfort. "Well… Arkay is the Divine of death and rebirth. He represents the cycle of life, and guides the dead to their final resting place, or afterlife."

Sans relaxed slightly, but still felt very wary. After all, one good spark and he'd be dust. "Ok. That's one down. What about the rest?"

So the kitten started to explain the concept of the Aedra to Sans. The skeleton listened attentively, interjecting occasionally to ask clarifying questions or to put in his own two cents about a particular Divine. By the time Ceria reached the last Divine, Talos, it was almost 3AM. Sans stifled a yawn as the kitten continued to ramble on about the Ninth Divine.

"The Thalmor outlawed Talos worship after they won the Great War, but many still practiced in secret, and that ban on Talos worship helped start the civil war in Skyrim. Now, though, Skyrim is independent of the Empire, so people can worship Talos whenever they like." The kitten purred, snuggling up against Sans even more. "That got the crazy prophet guy to shut up for a whole week before he went back to ranting outside the hall of Jorvaskr. I'd call that a win!"

Sans chuckled. It was nice to see the white feline happy for once. "I think I'd call that a win, too." After checking the clock, he gently eased the kitten off of him. "Now, you go get some rest. It's late. Or early, actually, but you get the picture. I'm gonna go find my bro." With that, he stood, stretching.

The kitten yawned, seemingly more at home in the skeletons' house than ever. "Alright." She let her eyes close, her little paws wrapping around the blanket and pulling it tighter around her small form. Sans smiled slightly at the kitten before leaving the house. After closing the door, the short skeleton gave a long-suffering sigh.

"Right. Three guesses on where Paps might be." With that, Sans took a shortcut over to Undyne's house. "Guess number one."

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**A/N: Tim Hill: Thank you for the review! I'm sorry if I skip around, but there's not much I can do about that. These characters want to visit each other so much.**

**The next chapter might be a while, I don't know, but I plan on working on it when I can. And I hope you guys like people getting pissed off at Sans for his protective and secretive stupidity, as that trend will continue into the next. For now, I hope you enjoyed, and have a great day/night!**


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